#Psychology

“… a sign of contemporary Gestalt psychology. In the word we recognized only its external side. Yet it is in the internal aspect, in word meaning, that thought and speech unite into verbal thought.” (p 5-6)

“Viewed in the context of human behavior, time is organization. However, Condon’s insights include much more. For example, the definition of the self is deeply embedded in the rhythmic synchronic process. This is because rhythm is inherent in organization, and therefore has a basic design function in the organization of the personality.” (p 180)

“One clue is that the Japanese are more aware of synchrony than the average Westerner. Those tremendous Sumo wrestlers, for example, must synchronize their breathing before the referee will allow the match to begin, and the audience is fully aware of what is happening. In this same vein, Japanese who are conversing will frequently monitor their own breathing in order to stay in sync with their interlocutor!” (p 164)

“… English speakers prefer to talk about duration in terms of length (e.g., ‘That was a short talk,’ ‘The meeting didn’t take long‘), while Spanish and Greek speakers prefer to talk about time in terms of amount, relying more on words like ‘much’ ‘big’, and ‘little’ rather than ‘short’ and ‘long’ …” (p 123-124)

“But what is easy to say in one language may be harder to say in a second, and this may make it easier or more natural or more common for speakers of the first language to think in a certain way than for speakers of the second language to do so. A concept or category may be more available in some linguistic communities than in others.” (¶ 39)

“This principle is illustrated by the way in which we have taken our own biological clocks, moved them outside ourselves, and then treated the extensions as though they represented the only reality. … Because of extension transference, the schedule is the reality and people and their needs are not considered.” (p 131)

“The most basic of culture patterns are acquired in the home, and begin with the baby’s synchronizing his or her movements with the mother’s voice. Language and our relations with others build on that basic foundation of rhythm. … When the child enters school, however, the culture comes on full force. Schools instruct us how to make the system work and communicate that we are forever in the hands of administrators. Bells tell everyone when they must begin learning and when to stop.” (p 108-109)

“In my approach, behavior comes first and words follow. Looking at what people actually do (in contrast to what they write and say when theorizing) one quickly discovers a wide discrepancy between time as it is lived and time as it is considered.” (p 13)